Where and when to find cheap eats and drinks in Sacramento.

July 10, 2012

Daily Dining News: 'Awe-inspiring pies' at Masullo in Land Park

Sacramento has its share of terrific Neapolitan-style wood-fired pizza. Hot Italian, One Speed and Pizza Rock are all excellent, but Sac Bee restaurant critic Blair Anthony Robertson may have just found the best artisan thin crust pizza in Sacramento.

One night a few years back, everything seemed perfect – the dough looked and felt perfect, the timing of the orders was perfect, the vibe in the room was just so – and Masullo knew he was making pizza at its highest level. He wrote on the Masullo Facebook page, "See Naples and die." Translation: It doesn't get any better than this.

That's not hype or braggadocio. We dropped by on several occasions recently to work our way through the assortment of pizzas on the menu, some with sauce, some without. We came away with a simple answer to explain this kind of greatness: Though there is certainly magic, there are no tricks.

At Masullo, it is all about time-honored techniques, old-fashioned values, quality ingredients, attention to detail, high standards and hard work.

The pizzas were so good, the flavors and textures so enthralling – from the crust to the sauce to the little cubes of premium bacon or the medallions of spicy sausage – I can recall the experience weeks later as if I had just polished off a slice moments ago.

I LOVE Masullo. I live in the neighborhood, and it's a real luxury to be able to grab a great pizza for a casual dinner. They also employ my favorite waiter in Sacramento - Andrea. His enthusiam, Italian accent and excellent service really make every meal at Masullo a special experience.

Squeeze Inn decides to add food truck - Add the Squeeze Inn as the latest brick-and-mortar restaurant to launch a food truck. The much heralded local burger franchise, which was once featured on the Food Network's "Diners, Drive-ins and Dives," has gone mobile. The Squeeze Inn truck, an extension of the eatery's Power Inn location, is operated by Ken Bourquin, a former Squeeze Inn employee. He was given the blessing to run the truck from restaurant owner Travis Hausauer, and started rolling about two weeks ago. Chris Macias in the Sac Bee.

Tour de Sacramento - The Tour de France is one of summer’s great sporting spectacles, so we thought it only fitting to pay homage to the event with our own (very modest) two-wheel expedition. Unlike the elite cycling event, however, this leisurely pub ride is all about soaking up the sights and the suds along the way. To that end, we mapped out a pedal-friendly midtown loop where the patios are urban oases and the peoplewatching doesn’t disappoint. Featuring Rubicon Brewing Company, Bows & Arrows, Magpie Cafe & Firestone Public House. Catherine Warmerdam in Sac Mag.

2-lb. Big Rib is this year's talked-about food at the State Fair - That craving could well extend to this year's big-buzz novelty dish, the Big Rib. It's a chunk of meat so intimidating that it could have stepped out of a vegan's worst nightmare, or into a carnivore's sweetest dream. Think "Conan the Barbarian." The Big Rib is 2 pounds of USDA prime beef attached to a 17-inch-long rib, giving a new dimension to the "on a stick" template. "We needed to find a barbecue product to compete with the turkey leg, something different but similar," explained Big Rib creator and veteran concessionaire Dominick Palmieri..."We slow-smoke the Big Rib for four hours, then finish it over a mesquite-charcoal pit," he said. "You can pick from three sauces." Allen Pierleoni in the Sac Bee.

Habit Burger adds location in Folsom - Folsom is getting a Habit Burger Grill on Wednesday, the seventh location in the Sacramento area for the Irvine-based chain. To get ready for the opening, the restaurant will host charity events to train its crew on Sunday and Monday. Mark Anderson in Sac Biz Journal.